


there's something tragic about you

by msinformed13



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 70's, BAMF Lena Luthor, Criminal AU, Cute, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Lena Luthor, LENA GETS A HUG, Lena Luthor-centric, Lesbian Kara Danvers, On the Run, Outlaws AU, Protective Kara Danvers, Protective Lena Luthor, SuperCorp, Thelma and Louise AU, gas station robbers, kara is a puppy, lena is a badass, lena needs a hug, supercorp kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-10-14 10:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10534272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msinformed13/pseuds/msinformed13
Summary: "If we do this there's no going back. We're talking about a felony here!" Kara follows her with quick steps, "Right, because what we've been doing up until this point has been all above the table!" "You know what I mean!" Lena glares, "This isn't some gas station robbery or a house break in alright, what you want to do is kidnapping for Christ's sake!" Supercorp outlaws AU





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I watched Hozier's 'From Eden' music video and couldn't get this idea out of my head. Enjoy. (will be probably 5 chapters)**

**Title is from 'From Eden' by Hozier**

* * *

Lena pulls the screwdriver out of her backpack slung over one shoulder. She inserts it into the window frame and slides it easily along until it catches in the latch. With a quick twist move and extra hip bump there is a click and the window popped up an inch. Her green eyes sparkle in triumph and she easily shoves it the rest of the way open.

"Two minutes, kid." She promises ruffling the little boy's hair. With both palms flat on the window frame, she pushes herself up and gracefully perches on the ledge. She spares time for one last wink at Kara before she swings her legs over and drops into the dark house.

The moment she disappears, Joseph grabs hold of Kara's hand and trains his eyes on her watch. She knows that he will be carefully counting down the two minutes. It is the routine they had made on the first house they broke into as a trio. Lena always promised to have the front door open in two minutes, and Joseph always held her to it. She was never late.

This time though, she cuts it close and the front door squeaks open after one minute forty seven seconds of waiting to reveal a pink cheeked Lena.

"Kitchen's down the hall on the left." She says, trying to hide the smile that pulls at her lips when Joseph gives her a half second side hug before bolting to get some food.

"Thirteen seconds to spare, cutting it a bit close aren't we?" Kara teases.

Lena shrugs, her eyes darting over her shoulder to the noise Joseph is making in the kitchen. The mask of concern is in full effect across Lena's face, it's a rare moment to see her relaxed, rarer even now ever since they picked up the third member of their little family, "I don't want to spend more than one night here, the owners must be loaded."

Kara nods, she pulls the brunette into a quick embrace, kissing her on the forehead before following Joseph's lead towards the kitchen. She finds the boy perched on a barstool at a granite island, a bowl full of cereal in front of him and a few escaped frosted flakes strewn across the counter.

"Find anything good?"

He shrugs noncommittally. Kara pours herself a bowl of cereal too.

When Lena joins them, she still appears on edge. She quickly and methodically goes through the cabinets and drawers, pulling out what she deems will be useful. Kara watches her add a pocket knife, a bic lighter, some bakers twine, and a handheld can opener to her backpack. Looting done, Lena scrutinizes what the two blondes have selected for dinner and shakes her head.

She pulls open the refrigerator and pulls out a variety of vegetables that she expertly cuts and tosses for a salad, "With the way you two eat, it's a miracle neither of you has diabetes." She puts hefty portions of salad into three bowls and sets them out, Kara and Joseph both pull faces at the healthy food, but Joseph eats his without complaint.

He would go to the ends of the earth for Lena, Kara too, but the bond between Lena and the boy has always been something special.

When dinner has been eaten and food has been packed away to take with them in the morning, when the shower Lena insists Joseph takes is finished, when the closets have been pilfered and the valuables tucked away to pawn in the next town over, the three settle in to crash for the night. Joseph falls asleep on the couch while the women are still turning the house over.

"Now that the children are asleep, how about mommy and daddy have a little fun?" Kara asks with a devious twinkle in her eyes.

Lena chuckles, "Which one are you supposed to be?"

"You're clearly the dad." Kara answers easily, her hands land on Lena's hips and her thumbs draw circles just barely under her shirt.

The brunette gives her girlfriend a look, but lets herself be drawn in closer. She follows when Kara leads her up the stairs and to the first bedroom they find. It's painted grey and the bed has dark blue sheets, the walls are decorated in sports and band posters, and Lena feels a pang of something like longing.

She pushes it down, however, because Kara's hands are on her hips, her lips are at her neck, and she feels the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she lets them tumble down together. They have quick, rough sex, Lena comes silently with her back arched, and her eyes shut tight.

When they've recovered their breath, Lena kisses down Kara's body worshipping every inch. She worships until Kara's legs tremble.

After, they shower together exchanging soft loving kisses. They redress and Kara goes to find the master bedroom, Lena goes downstairs. Carefully, so as not to to wake him, Lena picks Joseph up and carries him up the stairs. The three of them sleep snuggled together Joseph holding tight to Lena's jacket, and Kara protectively curled around them.

…

The house is old and abandoned and especially run down in comparison to those around it, but it's quiet and there's nobody near to poke their heads in. Nobody but the two women who park on the street and walk quickly to the house. The smaller one is in the lead, her hooded sweatshirt pulled up obscuring her face. She reaches the house and pulls a screwdriver out, poised to jimmy the door, but once she lays her hand against the wood, it gives way and swings in.

The two women share a look and the taller one shrugs. She clicks her flashlight on and takes the first step in the house.

The short woman follows with a frown, "You know I don't like it when the locks are broken."

The tall blonde laughs, "You don't like it because it means you don't get to break in, Lena." She swings the beam of her flashlight around, catching the terrible state of the home.

Lena rolls her eyes, "That's not it." They spread out and surveyed the first floor. The ground is strewn with broken needles and empty vials, the hallmarks of a crack house. Empty bottles stand in the corners, and there are multiple pairs of shoes on the ground.

They reconnect in the kitchen where Lena is already searching the cabinets and drawers and coming up empty. Kara sweeps her flashlight across the counter and prods an empty package of cornstarch, there are four all stacked together.

"You think the people who lived her made lots of gravy?" Kara asks with a little smile.

Lena doesn't turn from her task of ransacking the cabinets when she answers, "It's burn. Crack addicts put it in empty vials and resell it."

"How do people not notice?"

"You have to sell it to the right people." When she turns around, she sees Kara staring at her with that look, "What?"

"Nothing." Kara says quickly looking away, sometimes she forgets. She forgets that Lena grew up with people more likely to have track marks than paychecks. She forgets that they met on the streets and that ever since she's known her, Lena's been running.

"Let's check out the upstairs." Lena says, breaking the silence.

She follows the brunette's lead, nimbly sidestepping the rubbish on the creaky stairway. The upper floor is in a similar state of disarray as the lower one, and each room they enter is bare save for trash. The last room has peeling children's wallpaper and a stained mattress on the floor, it's the only indication that people actually lived here.

"This is tragic." Kara says, using the toe of her shoe to nudge a worn teddy bear that is hemorrhaging stuffing from various holes.

Lena hums in agreement, crossing to the closet to peek inside. When her flashlight cuts through the broken doors, she withdraws with a gasp.

"What is it Lee?" Kara asks, the shorter woman doesn't say anything. She is frozen in place, one hand covering her mouth, the other holding the flashlight is shaking.

Kara steps to her side, "Lee?" Her gaze shifts to the closet, and she feels her heart break.

Huddled in a corner is a small boy. He's staring up at them with terror in his eyes, wrapped in a threadbare blanket.

"Oh my God." Kara breathes.

She crouches down in front of the closet, "Hi." She says gently. The boy recoils and tries to scrunch further back into his hiding spot, "Hey, hey, we're not going to hurt you!" Kara tries, holding up her hands placatingly, "Where's your parents?"

He doesn't say anything, but he peeks up at her cautiously.

Kara sighs and tries a new tactic. The boy is incredibly thin, and has dark circles beneath his eyes. She is amazed that he isn't shivering, "Are you hungry?"

The boy gives her another measured look before nodding. Kara quickly digs through her bag for a granola bar, "It's a little crumbled up, but it's chocolate chip." She says offering it to him.

The boy takes it from her hand quickly, clearly afraid of her still. He looks at it for a second, as if determining if it was safe to eat before ripping into the packaging and practically inhaling the food.

"How long have you been alone here?" Kara asks. The boy shrugs, he's finished the granola bar, and looking sadly at the empty package, "Do you want another?"

He nods eagerly.

"Ok." She hands him two more granola bars before realizing that Lena still hasn't moved from her shocked still pose just behind her, "Don't eat those too quickly, you might choke." She warns before standing back up and grabbing Lena's elbow to pull her out to the hallway.

"We have to take him with us." She says.

Finally Lena's expression changes and she seems to come back to herself, "Kara, we can't possibly-"

"He's been abandoned here Lee! God only knows how long he's been here all alone!"

The brunette shakes her head, and turns to retrace their steps back down to the first floor, "You do realize that if we do this there's no going back. We're talking about a felony here, Kara!"

The taller woman follows her with quick steps, "Right, because what we've been doing up until this point has been all above the table!"

"You know what I mean!" Lena glares, "This isn't some gas station robbery or a house break in alright, what you want to do is kidnapping for Christ's sake!"

Kara lets out a frustrated sigh and paces down the hall a bit, when she stalks back, her voice is low and serious, "Who are we kidnapping him from Lee? Where's his parents? Where's anyone in this fucking world who gives a shit if he starves alone here tomorrow? Is it really kidnapping if he's been abandoned here like this?"

Lena bites her lip and rakes a hand through her hair, "Are we even qualified for this?"

"He's a kid, it isn't exactly rocket science."

She looks over Kara's pleading face once more before scanning a glance around the kitchen where they've wound up. The wallpaper is peeling and flat out ripped off in places, there is a deep brown stain on the worn linoleum around the refrigerator like it has been leaking for years. Dishes are piled high in the sink, and the cabinets that still have doors on them stand open and empty, "We can't just leave him here, Lee." Kara says softly.

"Fine."

Lena gets a blanket from their car and they go back upstairs. They learn that his name is Joseph and he's six.

"When was the last time you saw your parents, Joseph?" Kara asks, she's sitting on the mattress next to him, Lena is sitting against the wall opposite them.

"I haven't seen mom since Christmas." He says, holding the old teddy to his chest.

Lena and Kara share a look, it's March.

"Have you been alone here since then?"

"No, sometimes Johnny comes by."

"Is Johnny your dad?"

"No." The boy shakes his head quickly, "He's a salesman."

Lena is not at all surprised, but Kara quirks her eyebrow in confusion. 'Drug dealer' Lena mouths in response.

"How would you like to come with us?" Kara asks.

The boy scans the two of them critically once more, then glances around the room, then nods. He brings the teddy bear with him.

* * *

**A/N- Let me know what you thought.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! In this I see Lena as Hozier and Kara as Katie from the music video (totally not a stupid question, thanks for asking! :) )

Kara is driving. They take turns and Lena almost always does the driving at night, last night they drove the whole way through. They had overstayed their welcome in the last town so they had to move quickly, Lena drove them through the Arizona desert and now they are somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. The sun is high in the sky and Lena is sprawled across the backseat, her sunglasses firmly over her eyes. 

Kara and Joseph are up front, the windows rolled all the way down. Joseph is holding his hand out the window, letting it catch the air. He has a large smile and every so often a song will come on the radio that Kara will sing along terribly to, causing Joseph to break out in peals of laughter.  

They pass a sign for a gas station in a couple of miles and Lena perks up, “I think we need more gas.” She says, Kara didn’t realize that the brunette was awake. Her eyes flick to the gas gauge in the dashboard, it’s still over half full, and she knows Lena knows this. 

“Yeah, we're running low.” 

She pulls into the gas station, there’s one other car there.  Lena hops out and puts the nozzle in the car, the other patrons are a family of four. She smiles at the father who’s pumping gas for their mini van. The two children, a boy of around twelve and a girl of seven are stretching their legs, running circles around the car. 

The man finishes and goes inside to pay. 

“Do you two want anything?” Lena asks, leaning in Kara’s window.

“Popsicle!” Joseph declares.

Lena chuckles, “Alright.”

“Can I come in? I wanna pick out what kind.”    
A look crosses Kara’s face, “Not this time kid.” Lena answers for her,  “Do you want anything Kara?” 

“I’m fine.” The blonde glances through the window at the gas attendant, “Be careful, Lee.” 

Lena smiles, wide and sincere, “Always am.” She reaches into the car far enough to press a kiss to Kara’s lips before she makes her way to the shop. 

She passes the father on the way, he smiles and nods, “Safe travels.” 

“You too.” She says, hands behind her back tucking the revolver into the waistband of her jeans, hidden beneath her red flannel. 

Lena greets the spotty faced teenager behind the register and goes around the store, grabbing a few granola bars and a popsicle from the freezer section, “Pump number four.” She says, coming to the register and laying the food down. 

The boy scans the items, “Hot out there today, huh?” 

“Yeah, that sun is killer.” Lena says. 

“Will this be all?” 

The brunette looks out toward the gas pumps, the minivan is just pulling away, leaving the lot abandoned aside from the car with Kara and Joseph. Lena bites her bottom lip, “Actually, you know what throw in two packs of Marlboro lights.” 

He smiles understandingly at her hesitation, “Trying to quit?” 

“Old habits die hard.”    
The boy lays the packs of cigarettes on the counter, “That it?” 

“One last thing.” Lena says, she reaches behind her and draws the gun. She holds it steadily, “Do what I tell you and everything will be fine.” 

From the car, Kara sees Lena holding the cashier at gunpoint and she pops the bubble she had been blowing in her gum in her nerves. Joseph clumsily attempts to make a bubble with his gum as well, and he nearly drops it out of his mouth in the try. 

Kara laughs, “Don’t blow quite so hard.”

He tries again, with comparable results. 

They both break into laughter, “It’s my piece of gum! It’s thicker than yours.” Joseph decides. 

“Sure it is, bud.” Kara chuckles, “Do you want to try with another piece then?” 

“Yes.” He says, reaching into the center console to grab another piece. He drops his old one out the window and begins chewing the new one determinedly. 

He does not do any better blowing bubbles with this one than the last. 

Kara is blowing a bubble in slow motion to try and show Joseph how to do it, when Lena comes jogging out of the gas station. She’s holding three paper bags, and Kara knows that she must have already tucked the gun back into her waistband. The blonde starts the car again, having it in drive and practically already moving by the time that Lena gets in, slamming the door shut behind her. 

There is a loaded silence as she peels out of the station and floors the accelerator to take them away as quickly as possible. They drive silently for a couple of minutes until Kara merges them back onto the highway. There’s some rustling in the backseat, and when Kara looks in the rearview mirror she sees Lena removing the bullets from the gun- a safety precaution she never took before they had Joseph with them. 

The tense quiet is broken by a loud raspberry sound that accompanies Joseph’s gum flying out of his mouth and landing on the dashboard. He stares at it in horror until Lena and Kara dissolve into fits of loud all consuming laughter. It only takes a moment for Joseph to join them. 

“Throw it out, I don’t want you getting gum stuck in my car.” Lena lectures with a smirk. 

He does and turns in his seat to face her, “Did you get my popsicle?” 

“Of course, kid.” She says, digging through a bag to hand it to him. She opens a pack of cigarettes and takes one of those out too. When she reaches up between the front seats to grab the cigarette lighter from the dashboard, she pointedly ignores the look Kara shoots her. 

… 

The first six years are the best. Or rather, they’re better than the next ten. For everything Lena cannot say she had in her early childhood, she at least had those six years. Her mother had a job, and they lived in apartment that was all their own. Her mother’s job was odd hours as a waitress and their apartment was small and in a bad part of town, but it was theirs. 

Every second Friday of the month was Lena’s favorite. 

The Thursday before they would scrub the apartment, and then early on Friday Lena would put on her best dress, this white number with blue and red flowers. At exactly nine there would be a knock on the door and he would arrive. Mr. Luthor. 

His arms laden with gifts of clothes, games, books, everything that a child could want. He would always fuss over Lena, exclaiming how much taller she had grown in the last month and she would show him all of the drawings and projects she had been working on. He would smile encouragingly at each one. 

He would take her places, the zoo, the aquarium, art museums. He would feed her tidbits of information that she would cling to, she had such a thirst for knowledge. 

It all ended a few months before her seventh birthday. The second Friday of the month came and instead of her nice dress with the flowers, her mother gave Lena a scratchy black dress that didn’t fit quite right and they went to a park with stones in it. There were other people there too, all dressed in black, but Lena and her mother hung back. 

When the others began filing out, Lena caught sight of a boy. He was older than her, around fifteen, but she froze when their eyes locked. He had the exact same striking green eyes. Lena had never seen those eyes on anyone else, but looking into his eyes felt like looking into a mirror. Their connection was broken as the boy was ushered away by a tall thin woman in a long black trench coat. She spared a moment for a harsh glare at Lena and her mother before getting into a waiting car. 

Lena and her mother made their way to where the crowd had once been standing, she was quite good a reading by now and didn’t have trouble discerning the words on the stone. Loving father and husband. 

The next ten years got progressively worse. First her mother lost her job, then they lost the apartment. They moved in with a ‘businessman’ named Charlie in a busy house in downtown. For all intents and purposes, Charlie owned the house, he was tall and strong with broad shoulders and tattoos in sleeves. He was there most days and he did try and repair the house when things broke. There were always people coming and going and for a while Lena loved it. She thrived off of the attention, she was their community child and for a while things looked up. 

Until they looked down. 

Lena learned that there were some people you didn’t want to be alone with. She learned that when Charlie came into the house raging about money or pickups it was better to stay out of his way. 

She learned to cook. Charlie taught her to make pasta and pancakes and perfectly fried eggs. 

She learned not to worry when her mother went MIA for a few days. She learned not to worry when the days turned into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into every year past her thirteenth birthday. 

When she turned fourteen she left. She packed what few belongings she had into a backpack and slung it onto her shoulder. It was over a year since she’d seen her mother last. Charlie stopped her briefly in the entryway before she left. 

“You’re always welcome here. You know that, right kid?”

She had smiled and nodded, he always called her kid, “Yeah.” 

“And you know my number if you get in any trouble.”

“I do.” 

He bit his lip for a second, “Wait here.” 

Charlie disappeared into the kitchen and came back a few moments later with his hands full. In his left hand he held a wad of bills held together with a rubber band, in his right hand was a revolver. 

“Take these. I don’t like the thought of you alone out there, kid.” 

She put the money in her pocket and tucked the revolver into the back waistband of her jeans like she had seen Charlie do so many times before, “Thanks.” 

“Be safe.” He said, patting her on the shoulder. 

“I will.” 

She wondered if that was what parental concern was supposed to feel like. 

That was the last time she saw Charlie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, I haven't forgotten about this story and I intend to finish it ;)

They are in Texas, the northern part that felt like a desert. They are at a gas station again. This time legally. Kara puts the car in park and Joseph is out like a shot, sprinting into the station to ask about a bathroom. Lena and Kara are slower, the brunette sees a wanted poster hanging on the light post in the middle of the station. It has vague sketches of two women whose features were over general, and Lena smiles to herself a bit before ripping it down and crumpling it in her fist.

“I’ll do the gas.” Kara offers, already unscrewing the cap. Lena nods and heads into the run down building. She spots Joseph with his hands full of snacks. All it takes is crooked smile from the kid before Lena is giving in and gesturing for him to put his snacks down on the counter so she can buy them for him. 

He gives her a quick hug around the middle and a rushed, “Thanks Lena!” Before he sprints back outside with Kara. 

She buys other essentials too, and leaves the store with three bags. As she walks back toward the car, she doesn’t see Kara and Joseph and she grows concerned. Her concern is assuaged when she rounds the car and sees them kneeling down, fussing over the most ragged looking dog she’s ever seen. It’s a terrier mutt with long matted hair and a wide grin. 

Kara sees her first and has the good grace to at least look a little guilty. Joseph does no such thing, he looks up with his eyes wide and begging, “Can we keep him?” 

“Absolutely not.” Lena says. 

“Please?” Joseph asks, his bottom lip already quivering. 

“How are we gonna take care of it?” 

“Jackson doesn’t need that much!” 

Lena sighs, “You’ve already named it?” 

“He’s not an it, he’s a he!”

The brunette puts the bags in the car, and wipes a hand down her face in exasperation, “Maybe he belongs to someone already, we can’t just take him with us.” 

“He doesn’t have a collar.” 

A brief staredown ensues between the two brunettes that Kara watches with bated breath. Lena cracks after nearly a minute. 

“Fine. But he’s your responsibility.” 

Before she can prepare herself, Joseph has thrown himself at her, arms around her neck in a bone crushing hug. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He yells. 

Lena laughs and hugs him back, “Yeah yeah, just remember, you’re the one who’s going to be taking him for walks and picking up after him and giving him baths.” 

“I will.” He promises, jumping out of her arms and hugging the dog instead. 

“Okay, everyone in the car.” Lena commands, clapping her hands. The dog perks up immediately and leaps through the rolled down back window settling into the back seat. His tail wagging excitedly and his tongue lolling out of his mouth, Joseph follows him in. 

Kara lingers, laying her hands against Lena’s cheeks, “Softie.” She laughs. 

“Don’t go around telling people that.” Lena grumbles. 

“My big bad Lena going all soft and fluffy for a puppy.” 

“That mutt is not a puppy! And it better not have fleas.” Lena huffs.

“Softie.” Kara sing songs. 

Lena groans, “You and Joseph are puppies enough, I can’t believe I agreed to get a third one.” 

Kara chuckles and grabs onto Lena’s collar, pulling her in close and pressing their lips together. Lena smiles into the kiss and deepens it, backing the blonde against the car and daringly licking her tongue into the taller woman’s mouth. They break apart after a time and Lena cannot hid her ear to ear grin. Joseph honks the horn and both women blush slightly as they get in the car.  Despite what she says, the next stop Lena makes is at a pet shop where they get food, toys, and tags officially naming the mutt Jackson. 

That afternoon they pull off early and break into a house with a big backyard. Lena and Joseph take the dog outside to wash him off with the hose. ‘Washing the dog’ turns into a water war that leaves both brunettes soaked and lying in the grass, clutching their bellies in laughter. Kara watches them, smiling from the porch. 

… 

Kara heard tires screeching and glass shattering, she felt a seatbelt biting into her shoulder, and she smelled burning rubber and gasoline. Kara woke up screaming with a cold sweat dripping down her back. 

Kara woke up screaming and the girl sleeping in the bunk below hers kicked her mattress and sighed in annoyance, “For fucks sake Kara shut the hell up!” 

The blonde dropped her face into her hands, focusing on calming her breathing. Kara was fourteen and she was getting too old to wake up screaming from nightmares of a car accident four years ago. 

When her heart rate finally slowed, Kara climbed down from her bunk and padded quietly out of the room. Carefully, she snuck down the hall, comforted by the sounds of a house full of sleeping kids. When she reached the kitchen, she stood on a chair and pulled a glass from a tall cabinet to fill with water. 

She wished she could have a warm glass of milk, that’s what her mother always used to get for her when she had nightmares as a child. But the refrigerator had a padlock that her foster mother made sure was secured by 10 each night. 

When she finished her water, she carefully washed the cup and replaced it in the cabinet, pushing her the chair back into the table to be sure to erase any trace of her late night excursion. She crawled back into her bed, curling up beneath her blanket. 

She traced the long scar on her forearm and for a moment she let herself remember everything she had lost. Four years ago when she was ten, she lost her family in a car accident. Her parents died instantly upon impact, but her sister held on for a few minutes while they waited for the first responders to arrive. Kara watched her sister die, and she couldn’t reach her to offer some sort of comfort because Alex had been ejected from the car and Kara was trapped inside. 

When all was said and done, all that was left of the Danvers family was Kara who walked away with a scar on her arm from a shard of what used to be the windshield. 

From then on Kara bounced from foster house to foster house, collecting black eyes and scabbed knuckles like it was her job. The kids in the system fought dirty, but Kara was scrappy. When she was eighteen she left the system. 

She drifted, stealing what she needed, and learning to live without what she didn’t absolutely need. She learned how to shoplift while smiling at the store clerk and how to sleep with one eye open. When she met Lena she learned which houses to break into and how to hotwire cars. But that hasn’t happened yet, now Kara is fourteen and she’s desperately trying to cry herself silently back to sleep because she’s getting too old to wake up in the middle of the night screaming. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, just one chapter left! Drop a comment and let me know what you thought.

Kara is driving this time, the windows down, her hair blowing in the breeze, Jackson on the passenger seat next to her, his head sticking out the window and his tongue lolling happily. Lena and Joseph both napping together in the back seat. The sleeping woman is splayed out across both seats, her head at an uncomfortable angle leaning against the window, and her lips slightly parted. Kara knows that if it weren’t for the loud rushing of air through the window, she could probably hear the other woman snoring lightly. Joseph is curled on top of her, his head pillowed on her chest, Lena’s arm wrapped protectively around him. 

Kara watches them in the rearview window and couldn’t help but smile. They aren’t a regular family by any means, but these two were her family now. 

It is with this thought in mind that she felt the car start to shake, gradually slowing down until it gives out completely while Kara steers the car towards the side of the road. 

“Fuck.” She whispers angrily, smacking her hand against the wheel. 

The noise must wake Lena who stirs, sitting up properly and shifting from beneath Joseph, “What’s wrong?” 

“The car broke down.” Kara grouses. 

Lena nods, “I’ll take a look at it.” 

Kara pops the hood and Lena wastes no time in poking around in the engine, the mutt sitting obediently at her feet as she plays her best impression of a mechanic. Joseph wakes up moments later, he must have felt the absence of his favorite pillow. 

“She’s outside trying to fix the car.” Kara explains before he even has the chance to ask where Lena’s gone. 

“Can we help?” 

“Sure!” 

That’s how Kara finds herself sweating in the midday sun, laughing at Lena’s pathetic attempts to fix the car. Joseph is seated on the corner of the hood, offering his expert opinion on everything Lena is trying. 

Lena pushes the sleeves of her flannel up further from where they’d fallen down in her efforts to get the car going. Her hands are streaked with dark oil and grease from the engine. Kara will never admit it, but the sight of Lena like this- all down and dirty with the vehicle- has her impossibly turned on. 

“What if we hit it with a rock?” Joseph suggests as Lena is elbow deep in the inner workings of the car.

“Nah, I don’t think that will help.” Lena chuckles. 

“What is we just put some rocks in it?” 

“Nope.” 

“What if we pour water on it?” 

Lena is about to shoot down this suggestion too when she freezes, “That might actually just work.” 

“Seriously?” Kara asks.

“Yeah, I think we ran out of coolant and the car just overheated cause it’s hot as the sun out here. That might work until we can buy some more.” Lena explains. 

She goes into the trunk and comes back with a plastic bottle that she pours into the hood. 

“Try it now.” She says. 

Kara slides behind the wheel and turns the key. It’s slow but the engine sputters to life. Lena lifts Joseph to the ground and drops the hood. Kara tries to hit the gas, but the car won’t move forward. 

“What next?” 

“Guess we’ve got to push.” Lena smiles conspiratorially at Joseph. 

Lena shows him how to plant his feet in the dusty soil and get low to push with your knees. Joseph is so small, eventually he gives up and leans his back against the car and shoves with all his might. Lena laughs throatily as the car begins to roll. Kara stays inside and steers. 

They keep pushing until Kara’s steered them back onto the road and when she presses the accelerator the car actually speeds up. 

“Let’s go!” Lena yelled, running alongside the car and yanking open the door. Joseph struggles to keep up with his shorter legs. The brunette woman takes his hand in her own and uses it to pull him along and up into the car before jumping in herself. 

“Where’s Jackson?” The boy asks, peeking up into the front seat only to find it empty. 

Lena sticks her head out the window and sees the dog chasing behind the car, clearly too out of shape from his days as a stray to catch up. With a sigh Lena opens the door again and Kara slows down enough for Lena to be able to jump out. The brunette opens her arms and Jackson wastes no time into leaping into her embrace, covering her face in sloppy kisses. 

“Knock it off!” She commands with no real malice behind it, juggling the dog in her arms who really is too large for this sort of thing. Lena jogs to catch back up with the car which has been rolling along slowly- they all know that if it stops it may not start again. 

With one final huff, Lena drops Jackson onto the rear seat and flops in herself, shutting the door firmly behind them. 

“If anyone else gets out, they’re on their own.” She declares. 

“My little handymen.” Kara smiles into the rearview mirror, ignoring Lena’s exhausted threat. 

“At your service.” The brunette woman smirks, sending her a two fingered salute. 

Joseph mimics the action, drawing laughs from both women. Lena ruffles his hair affectionately. 

… 

Lena crouched down low behind the truck, peeking around the back to make sure that the lot was still deserted. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she sprinted lithely to the car in the corner that was her true target. 

She slid her ever present backpack off her shoulders and rummaged around inside for a moment before pulling out a small strip of wood and a wire coat hanger. She’d just gotten the wood wedged into the top of the door when an annoying voice pulled her out of her concentration. 

“Why can’t we steal the truck? It’s so much nicer than this piece of junk.” 

Lena suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, but only barely, “We can’t steal it because it’s too nice. It’s noticeable, this piece of junk as you call it, will fly below the radar and probably won’t be missed all too much. Now stop talking Carrie.”

“It’s Kara.” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

Lena focused on shimmying the wire coat hanger around to find and release the locking mechanism. The blonde huffed and kicked a rock at her feet. 

After a few moments, the lock popped up, and Lena triumphantly opened the door. 

“Now what?” Kara asked, sliding into the passenger side. 

“Now I hotwire the car and you stop asking stupid questions Carly. 

“Kara.” 

“Whatever.” Lena muttered, reaching underneath the wheel to find the wires she needed to get the car going. 

“You know we’ve been together for like a month now. I know you know what my name is. I don’t know why you’re being so rude about it.” 

Lena laughed shortly, pulling out her rusty pocket knife to really get down to work, “We are not together, you have been following me like a lost puppy for the last month, and occasionally you prove to be useful which is why I haven’t turned you into the pound.” 

The blonde rolled her eyes, “You could just admit that you like the company.”    
“I could but that would be lying.” Lena smirked.

“Ice queen.” 

“Imbecile.” 

“Hard ass.” 

“Clueless.” 

“Bitch.” 

At this point Lena had given up trying to focus on hotwiring the car and was completely invested in this little spat with Kara. They had shifted closer together in their arguing and now their faces were mere inches apart.

“Brat.” Lena challenged.

“Beautiful.” Kara whispered out. 

Both women’s eyes went wide in the realization of what had just been said. Before Lena even had the chance to offer a rebuttal, Kara was in motion, throwing all caution to the winds and grasping Lena’s chin in her palm, bringing their lips together in a kiss. 

It was tense and completely frozen until Lena’s brain caught up to her body and she threaded her hands through Kara’s hair and kissed her back. 

They broke apart after a time, Lena letting out the remainder of her breath in a low exclamation of “Jesus.” 

The blonde smirked from ear to ear, “Kara will suffice.” 

Lena shoved her lightly on the shoulder, “Just shut up and let me finish getting this thing started.” 


	5. Chapter 5

They are eating cereal in a sunlit breakfast nook. All of them have cereal and bowls of fruit salad, there is fresh coffee brewing and Jackson is happily laying at Joseph's feet, hoping for table scraps. Kara tosses a grape up in the air and catches it in her mouth with a grin. 

Joseph laughs and tries to copy her, failing spectacularly while Jackson quickly nabs the fallen fruit. 

Lena shakes her head at the two, “Less playing and more eating.” She admonishes. 

They finish their breakfast peacefully, Joseph providing idle chatter. They're the perfect image of a happy family. 

“I think there’s a fair in the next town over.” Kara says as she’s pouring herself more coffee, “There was a flyer for it at that gas station yesterday, want to go?” 

Immediately Joseph’s head is nodding furiously, “Can we?” 

Lena chuckled, “Sure. We should head out of here anyway, go grab your bag.” 

The boy’s smile grows and he hops off his chair, sprinting off to gather his things. 

Kara sneaks up behind Lena and wraps her arms around the shorter woman’s waist, “Have I told you yet today that you’re perfect?” 

Lena chuckles and relaxes back as she feels Kara press her lips against the brunette’s neck, “Hmmm, nope I don’t think you have.” 

“Well you’re perfect.” 

They bask in this feeling of completeness for a few seconds longer before the sound of tires on gravel pulls their attention. As one they move, Lena crouching down beside a window, Kara behind the kitchen table. The brunette steals a glance out the window and curses lowly, “Fuck, holy fucking shit, mother fucker.” 

Despite it, Kara can’t help but smirk at the bad language, “What’s going on out there, Lee?” 

“Three cop cars. They’re looking at our car, I see at least six state troopers out there. This is fucking bad.” Lena reports. 

Kara nods, taking it all in stride. 

“Are we playing a game?” Joseph asks, coming into the kitchen and seeing the women crouched down low. 

“Shh! Get over here.” Lena whispers, waving her arm. Joseph knows not to ask any questions right now and sprints to the brunette, curling up in her arms. Kara joins them beneath the window, Jackson is whining at their feet. 

“What’s our move?” The blonde asks. 

Lena’s hands are shaking, but that’s the only indication of her nerves. One of her arms is wrapped protectively around Joseph whose face is buried in her shoulder, the other hand is holding her revolver in her lap. 

“We take the back door, I’ll provide cover fire and you and Joseph run for the car.” Even as Lena is saying it, she knows it won’t work. 

Kara just looks at her, with all the love she can muster. 

The brunette tries again, “Okay, we take this side kitchen door into the backyard and hop a few fences to get a head start and we hideout in that local park until this evening.” Lena’s grasping at straws and they both know it. 

“I’ll carry Joseph, we can do this.” Lena says, her voice breaking. 

Kara reaches across and pulls the brunette into a hug, cradling the boy between them, “Oh, Lee.” She draws back and presses a soft kiss to the shorter woman’s forehead.

The two of them have a silent conversation communicated through raised eyebrows, pointed looks, and a lip twitch. Eventually Lena sighs and drops the revolver into her lap, running a hand through her hair. They both knew there was no good way out of this, not with Joseph. 

Outside they hear the cops getting louder, yelling to each other to set up a perimeter and call for backup. 

Lena cups Joseph’s chin gently in her hand, “You are an incredibly brave and strong boy, you know that right?” She asks, waiting for him to nod in response, “No matter what happens, I want you to remember that. And always keep your head up, there’s people out there who really care about you.” 

Kara imparts a similar sentiment before the three of them pull close in a tight embrace.

“We’re not going to the fair are we?” Joseph asks in a small voice. 

Tears are escaping the corners of Lena’s eyes now, “No, not right now. But maybe later, bud.” 

Kara and Lena share a look more meaningful than any parting words could carry. Lena is the first to gather herself, the cops outside are now yelling for them to come out of the house with their hands up. The brunette wipes her eyes, and stands, the other two following suit. 

“Joseph, I want you to follow me out of the house and when you do, keep your hands up, don’t run.” Lena says. 

He nods, his face solemn and hard, trying his best to mimic Lena’s expression. 

She leads them to the front door and glances out the peephole before cracking the door open, “There’s three of us coming out, we have a child with us, don’t shoot!” Lena yells outside. She holds her revolver by the barrel and tosses it out the house towards the line of state troopers and then exits slowly with her hands up high. 

Joseph follows close behind, blinking in the bright light, his hands up, staying close enough to Lena to lean against her thigh. Kara is the last out. 

“Step away from the boy!” The officer who must be in charge yells.

Lena and Kara obediently take a few steps forward, two officers break the line to detain them. A blanket is draped across Joseph’s shoulders as the women are put on the ground to be searched.  They are cuffed and as they are about to be led to separate cars, Joseph breaks away from the officers escorting him to hug each woman one last time. Lena drops down onto her knees to be at his level, kissing him gently on the cheek and smiling brightly at him. 

“Keep your head up, kid.”

He nods and sloppily kisses her cheek before Lena is roughly pulled to her feet and dragged away towards a waiting car. She sees Joseph being put in a different car, a female officer sitting in the back with him. Kara is detained in the third car. She tries to memorize their faces, illuminated up in this mid morning light by the flashing red and blue police brights. 

… 

Lena was sleeping. Curled up in a small ball on the couch, her hand clenched around the revolver beneath her pillow, her backpack at her feet all ready to go should she need to run at a moment’s notice. She was awoken by a loud bang, and in seconds she was on her feet, backpack over a shoulder, and hidden in a shadowy corner. 

She knew the bang was the sound of a window screen falling into a house and cursed her luck that some other thief had broken into the same house as her. Some sloppy other thief if their loud footsteps was anything to go by. 

Not wanting to waste a bullet in a territorial dispute, and not knowing who she was up against, Lena felt along the mantle of the fireplace beside her until her fingers found the silver candlestick she was looking for. 

She held it over her shoulder like a baseball bat as she began sneaking through the house towards the kitchen where she could hear rustling. Rounding the corner into the kitchen, Lena couldn’t help but let out a small snicker at the sight in front of her. A tall blonde was hunched over the kitchen table, spooning dry cereal into her mouth at an alarming rate. 

The woman, alerted to the brunette’s presence, froze with her spoon halfway to her mouth. They both stared each other down for a moment until the blonde broke the silence, “Hey there slugger.” 

Lena’s eyes narrowed, “Who the hell are you?” 

“The housekeeper.” The blonde snarked. 

Lena pushed down a growl, dropping the candlestick from her baseball stance reluctantly, “Yeah, and I’m the dog walker.” 

“These people don’t have a dog.” The blonde shot back.    
“And you’re not their bloody housekeeper!” 

“Did you seriously just use the word ‘bloody’ as a stand in for a real swear word?” The blonde chuckles. 

At that Lena did actually growl, “I broke in here first fair and square, so you need to get the fuck out!” 

“Oh my god, you’re a thief?” The blonde gasped in fake shock. 

Lena balled her hands into annoyed fists, “Just get out!” 

“No, I don’t think I will.” She smiled, digging back into her massive bowl of cereal, “These guys buy the real deal, not some off brand crap.”

Lena was quiet for a moment as she tried to figure out how to get rid of this annoying blonde. Her thought process was interrupted by the blonde herself, “Do you want some?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Do you want some cereal?” 

“No I don’t want some cereal! Who the hell are you?” 

The blonde smirked, extending her hand, “My name is Kara Danvers, what’s yours?” 

  
  
  
  


**A/N- Thanks for reading through to the end. Let me know your final thoughts, and here's a little special extra just for you. Alternate ending from the point at which Lena brings them out of the house~~**

  
  


She leads them to the front door and glances out the peephole before cracking the door open, “There’s three of us coming out, we have a child with us, don’t shoot!” Lena yells outside. She holds her revolver by the barrel and tosses it out the house towards the line of state troopers and then exits slowly with her hands up high. 

Joseph follows close behind, blinking in the bright light, his hands up, staying close enough to Lena to lean against her thigh. Kara is the last out. 

“Step away from the boy!” The officer who must be in charge yells.

Lena and Kara obediently take a few steps forward, two officers break the line to detain them. The man arresting Kara roughly pushes her to her knees and before anyone can react, a streak of brown is shooting across the yard and attacking the officer. 

“Stop!” Lena shouts. 

“Get off!” The officer cries.

“Don’t move!” Another officer commands, taking aim.    
“Don’t shoot!” 

Everything freezes for a moment as the attacked officer pushes the now lifeless form off of him. Joseph whimpers and runs to Lena’s side, she holds him close whispering in his ear, “It’s alright, dear. Don’t look, it’s alright.” 

“They killed Jackson.” The boy cries. 

“I know, it’s going to be alright.” Lena reassures. 

Another officer steps forward, placing a hand on Joseph’s shoulder to pull him away and toward a waiting car, “No, Lena!” He yells. 

“Everything will be okay, Joseph.” The brunette promises, trying to smile even as Kara is being pushed into the back of a cop car and she is being yanked by her cuffed hands, the metal biting into her wrists. 


End file.
